At one event, guests were asked to put a sticker on their name tag indicating the goal they most supported. Of course, I chose the ocean goal: “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.” And until a colleague arrived, I was the only one representing the ocean. What was supposed to be a conversation starter turned me into a wallflower. It was a poignant reminder of how misunderstood and marginalized ocean conservation issues often are — and to our global detriment.

My name tag for a lovely event hosted by the UN Foundation and Warby Parker, where I was repping the ocean goal solo.

A healthy ocean can reduce poverty and hunger, support human health and economic growth, mitigate the impacts of climate change, and reduce international conflicts. My introversion that evening prevented me from approaching one stranger after another to explain how addressing the global problems they care most about also requires the restoration and sustainable management of the ocean. Here is that explanation now for how each of the other 16 SDGs requires a healthy ocean:

Quality Education — Our brains don’t work well when we are hungry or malnourished. A healthy ocean means healthy and abundant seafood, which supports children’s ability to learn, and supports incomes from the Blue Economy that enable parents to pay school fees.

Clean Water and Sanitation — Coastal ecosystems have an impressive (and currently highly overtaxed) capacity to filter the sewage that is continually dumped into it. Wetlands, mangroves, and oyster reefs serve a highly valuable role in maintaining water quality.

Affordable and Clean Energy — The ocean has enormous clean energy potential that is just beginning to be harnessed, including from wind, wave, tidal, biomass, thermal conversion, and salinity gradients.

Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure — Clean energy and biotechnology are burgeoning and innovative ocean industries. Coastal infrastructure is a growing focus, especially given sea level rise and the increasing frequency and severity of storms.

Reduced Inequalities — In places with high poverty there is often an increased dependence on natural resources. To reduce inequality, the ocean resources that people rely on to survive need to be sustainably managed and accessible.

Partnerships for the Goals — The ocean knows no geopolitical or socioeconomic boundaries, and 64% of the ocean is high seas (outside of national jurisdictions). Seawater, fish, and pollution flow around the globe, making partnerships critical.

And the phrasing “Life Under Water” — It’s not immediately clear what that means. It’s certainly not nearly as evocative as the framings of seeking peace, health, and equality. In addition to the broader “out of sight out of mind” challenge of communicating ocean issues, we have a marketing problem on our hands.

However, we are making important progress. Notably, the ocean actually has its own stand-alone goal for the first time, which is the result of a huge effort on the part of the ocean conservation community. This is a big deal! These goals are intended to frame and focus the work of the UN and the development community through 2030.

We — the ocean community, sustainable development community, and hopefully a growing group of partners — have a long way to go in both better communicating the centrality of ocean health to achieving the rest of the goals, and in achieving (and exceeding!) each of the specific targets under the ocean goal. We’ve got work to do, and I look forward to doing it together.

Meet the Author

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, conservation strategist, and Brooklyn native. She is founder and president of Ocean Collectiv, a consulting firm for ocean conservation strategies grounded in social justice. She teaches at New York University as an adjunct professor, and was co-director of partnerships for the March for Science. As executive director of the Waitt Institute, Ayana co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, she worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was recently a TED resident and Aspen Institute fellow. She envisions and works toward a healthy ocean that supports food security, economies, and cultures. Find her @ayanaeliza.

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About the Blog

Researchers, conservationists, and others share stories, insights and ideas about Our Changing Planet, Wildlife & Wild Spaces, and The Human Journey. More than 50,000 comments have been added to 10,000 posts. Explore the list alongside to dive deeper into some of the most popular categories of the National Geographic Society’s conversation platform Voices.

Opinions are those of the blogger and/or the blogger’s organization, and not necessarily those of the National Geographic Society. Posters of blogs and comments are required to observe National Geographic’s community rules and other terms of service.